‘What keeps us unified against the common threats at sea, what motivates us to recourse to stability in the global commons and what drives our will to come closer and operate together as military services,’ the Naval Chief queried as he continued unfolding his vision for an activity conjoined with Aman exercise next year.
“It is the navies’ unequivocal ability to transcend traditional boundaries, overcome prohibitive barriers and leverage reach & sustainability, enabling them to be united by tides and knotted by oceans, unlike any other military service,” Admiral Naveed Ashraf noted.
It would later be called as ‘Aman Dialogue,’ an activity of intellectual discourse on the issues gripping the navies around the world as they practically demonstrate their ability to operate together for realizing common goals of maintaining a stable order at sea, through Aman Exercise.
The question that spontaneously comes to mind is as how would this Dialogue in Pakistan be different from others and what it could provide? Firstly, the Aman Exercise has established a reputation for bringing together a wide spectrum of navies to promote maritime security and cooperation.
It has rightly been termed a bridge between the east and west. The Aman Dialogue is a natural extension of this success, shifting the focus to intellectual exchange and policy-driven discussions among the naval practitioners. Secondly, Pakistan provides a platform for first-hand engagement with a country that holds a strategic vantage point in the Indian Ocean, i.e., its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, which cumulatively gives it a critical role in global maritime trade and security.
Western Indian Ocean is not just another maritime arena. It is the centre of gravity of world’s major powers’ attention. Emerging crises in the region, which include Israel’s military conflicts with Palestine, Lebanon, and Iran; the US-Iran imbroglio; the Yemen quagmire, Afghanistan’s perpetual instability and the Syrian strife, have a pronounced impact at sea, which merit a dialogue seeking solutions as per the regional settings. These issues are not mere regional, but have global ramifications, thereby necessitating corresponding multilateral intellectual vigour to explore answers.
In order to better elaborate the Aman Dialogue, I have referred to the two short phrases that could succinctly convey the spirit behind the dialogue. ‘United by tides’ means how the seas connect nations. Maritime civilizations, regardless of their distance, have always been united by the common influence of the tides: through trade, exploration and/ or migration.
According to The New Penguin Atlas of Ancient History the Colin McEvedy, REVISED EDITIONBy Colin McEvedythe first-ever maritime trade route was established between the Indus and Sumerian civilizations nearly 5,000 years ago. In the context of the Aman Dialogue, ‘united by tides’ implies that despite geographical or political differences, countries with maritime interests share a common destiny shaped by the seas.
The phrase ‘knotted by oceans,’ is about the vastness and, to some extent, the difficulty of the seas, which requires bonds, symbolized as knots, bringing nations together to co-operate. For the Aman Dialogue, ‘knotted by oceans,’ tells us that the maritime cooperation is crucial to overcoming the challenges posed by the expansive, and sometimes contested, waters.
The exchange of ideas and sharing of strategic thoughts in international maritime forums is a well-established tradition, exemplified by platforms such as the Gaule Dialogue, the Western Pacific Naval Symposium, the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium, the Trans-Regional Seapower Symposium and the International Seapower Symposium, among others. These gatherings provide invaluable opportunities for maritime professionals and leaders to engage in dialogue on pressing security and policy issues.
At such forums, we understand the sense of shared responsibility in managing maritime affairs. However, what would set the Aman Dialogue apart from its counterparts is its unique execution alongside a major multinational Aman exercise, involving participants from many nations.
The Aman Dialogue as a parallel activity elevates its significance by offering a dynamic interplay of operational prowess and intellectual discourse, which primarily involves professional naval practitioners from around the world.
The simultaneous execution of military exercises and high-level discussions represents a symphony of ‘muscle and mind’, where thought and action converge in a single powerful event.
The co-conduct of these activities would allow for the direct translation of strategic ideas into operational considerations. The Aman Dialogue will not just be a forum for intellectual debate/ exchange but as a platform empowering ‘theory to meet practice.’
There will be multifaceted discussions addressing some of the most pressing maritime issues of our time and, particularly, our region. With various major themes, the Dialogue will explore topics ranging from the evolving security landscape in the Indian Ocean Region to the transformational impact of advanced technologies on maritime operations.
Sessions will also delve into non-traditional threats such as piracy and illegal trafficking, the importance of humanitarian assistance & disaster relief and the vast potential of the blue economy for sustainable development. Senior officers from navies and coast guards from many nations will provide unique insights into their perspectives on fostering collaborative maritime efforts.
These professionals will focus on how to enhance regional security, facilitate multilateral maritime operations and promote peaceful freedom of navigation in maritime commons. Their collective expertise will underscore the importance of synergy in addressing shared maritime challenges/ threats.
At a time when maritime security & stability is more crucial than ever, the Aman Dialogue 2025 will be a suitable platform of cooperative resolve. This will also provide an opportunity to understand each other’s compulsions and capacity to collaborate for common good.
Besides professional exchange of ideas, the forum is expected to broadcast Pakistan’s image as a responsible maritime state that believes in a constructive framework aimed at promoting peace & stability at seas.
By merging intellectual exchange with real-time naval exercise, the Dialogue will be a perfect fusion of intellect and fieldwork. This will enable a deeper understanding of regional dynamics but also promote tangible solutions that can be applied at sea.
Pakistan’s initiative to host this dialogue alongside the Aman Exercise is very crucial/ highly time-sensitive for open debate on maintenance of good order at sea, especially when trade & blue economy are threatened by traditional and non-traditional threats.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
The writer is an Islamabad-based researcher with interests in maritime security, climate change and astropolitics. He can be reached at [email protected]
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